Looking For You In The Sky
by TheAnnoyingVoice
Summary: Separated from one another as young children, Roxas vows to find his twin brother Ventus and bring him back home. Will he be true to his vow, or will Ventus slowly become a distant memory? Only time will be able to tell.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Kingdom Hearts and I am not making any profit from writing this story.

**Author's Note:** Yes, another story. Sorry guys, but don't worry, I have not abandoned my others. They're being worked on, trust me. This is something I actually started last night, just the first paragraph, as a post for an rp. It didn't turn out, so I extended it and turned it into a story. After listening to Vocaloid songs for the last couple of days, I was inspired by the Synchronicity series. If you haven't watched them, I seriously encourage you to. The title is part one out of three, but the third, I understand was never made. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and I'll get my butt working on other stuff while I have the inspiration.

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><p>Rain pattered gently on the roof, concealing the heavy steps of the soldiers making their up to small house. Inside a young woman was busy preparing supper, standing over a cauldron of a nice smelling soup, stirring it gently. On the floor her two little boys, twins, were laughing and playing. Then a knock came at the door. She stopped stirring the soup and gathered her skirts, wondering who could be calling on them on such a miserable day. As soon as she opened the door she was grabbed by two soldiers and held back as another two walked in and over to her children. She screamed their names, telling the boys to run, but one was grabbed while the other froze up and stared fearfully at the man reaching for him.<p>

His brother struggled and kicked in the soldier's arms trying to get away, but the soldier stood fast, immune to the child's thrashing. The boy tried a different tactic; he lowered his head and bit the man on the arm as hard as he could with his blunt teeth, growling like a little puppy as he moved his head back and forth. The soldier flinched, but instead of shoving him away roughly and cradling his arm, he drew the boy closer to him and tightened his hold. The child could only watch as his brother was picked up by the other man. They screamed to one another, identical eyes wide, glistening with tears as small hands reached out in one last desperate attempt to stop the bad men from separating them.

He was placed down on the floor while his mother was thrown aside. Her sobs for the men to have mercy and let her other little boy go went unheard as their booted feet clopped across the hard wooden floor of the little house. The door slammed shut, leaving her and the other child alone. Silence reigned for a few moments and then the woman released heart shattering grief stricken wails and continuous pleas for the soldiers to bring back her other son. The other little boy stayed where he was, sniffling and wiping at his nose as he stared longingly at the closed door.

"Mama?" He whimpered softly and the woman's head suddenly shot up, eyes wide and tearful. She stared at him in shock then a small, sad smile appeared on her lips. She had momentarily forgotten about her other son. The one they left behind. She opened her arms and he scampered over, falling into them, clinging to her tightly.

"Dear Roxas," She soothed, releasing a shuddering breath. She leaned down and kissed the top of his fluffy blond head. "I love you darling, I love you so much."

"Mama, they took Venny…" The child sobbed, burying his face into her bosom, his words muffled, but she understood. She always shared a mutual understanding with her twin boys. That's what made them so special to her. The three of them were connected.

"Yes…" She replied sadly, stroking his hair and slowly lifted her head to look at the door. Even though they were far away from the little house by now, she could still hear Ventus's screams for her and his brother. She could feel his anguish, his longing to be home with them. Tears ran down her cheeks as she wondered what those men wanted with her sweet little Ventus. They never told her, just ripped the child away from his home and everything he knew. The little boy in her arms shivered violently and pulled away, looking up at her.

"Why mama? Why did they take him? Why did they take Venny from us? I miss him, mama. I want him to come back!" He shuddered as he was seized by another sobbing fit and buried his face into his mother's dress, little hands clinging to the material as tightly as they could.

The woman sighed and straightened up. She pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him, shushing him gently. She had no answer to give to her little boy. She didn't know the answer herself, but maybe tomorrow she could ask one of the other villagers if they might know something. And then demand her stolen child returned.

Though she did not say anything, the little boy's sobbing ceased to an occasional hiccup. She rubbed his back, circling her hand over the middle, her other hand holding the back of his head. After several moments he finally pulled away and looked up at her, eyes no longer shining with tears, the dirty streaks that ran down his cheeks and the puffy redness around his eyes were the only indication he had been crying. He looked thoughtful; lips pursed tightly, eyes narrowed.

"What are you thinking about, Roxy?" She asked softly, though from their bond, she was sure of the answer. He looked so determined now, hardly a trace of the crying little boy he was just moments before. He was looking past her, at the door, even his grip on her dress was like a vise.

"We're gonna get 'im back mama, I promise. Venny's my brother and I'm gonna save him!"

It was cute, the childish determination and solemn vow, but as he turned his eyes away from the door and looked back up at her, she couldn't deny that her little boy would be true to his word and stop at nothing to bring Ventus back. And who knew, maybe he would. Maybe one day they could return to the happy and loving family they had been up until this moment.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So does it have potential? Let me know, I always enjoy hearing from you. ^^


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Kingdom Hearts and am not making any profit from writing this story.

**Author's Note:**I don't know how, but I completely skipped the editing process and looking over this chapter before putting it up. Now it's all edited and I'm quite pleased with how it came out for the most part. I've been working on it pretty much non-stop after putting up the prologue. Thanks for the reviews and alerts this story has already received and savor this chapter because I'm not entirely sure when the next one will be up. I'm going to try and switch to one of my other stories and get another chapter updated for them so there's a possibility of updates coming this way. ^^

To my anonymous reviewer **Flightfoot: **I'm glad you think it has potential, and I know I sort of failed to mention why only Ventus was taken, but it will be explained as the story goes on. Thank you for the review, by the way. ^^

**Edit**: I really didn't like the ending of this chapter so I went back and changed it.

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><p>Roxas wrapped his cloak around his body tightly as a fierce wind picked up threatening to rip it off him. He tried not to let it deter him from his destination and hunched forward as he trudged up along the dusty path that lead away from the only home he ever knew. He reached the top and stopped to catch his breath, turning his head to look at the lonely little house surrounded by lush green grass and cheerful flowers that waved back and forth in the wind. He had the oddest feeling they were waving goodbye to him and with a deep breath he lifted a shaky hand, returning the wave. A lone tear slid down his cheek as he stared down at his childhood home, trying to not to think of how empty it was now with his mother gone.<p>

She had been with him all his life, but recently fell ill. The local physician had looked her over and the told Roxas the only thing he could think of that fit her condition. His mother was depressed. She always used to sit at the window, staring out at the sky with a sad expression, but whenever Roxas asked her what was wrong she only smiled and shook her head. He wished he knew what it was that made her so sad. But then death came and snatched her away just like another long ago. He couldn't remember exactly what it was, the niggling memory in the back of his mind, but something told him to leave and begin a search. If only he knew what it was he was searching for.

Roxas stared at his home a little longer, eyes glancing at the grave in which his mother now lay buried. Some of the villagers were very kind to him, coming over to pay their respects, and help him dig the grave. They even supplied a headstone for it. He was very grateful to them, hoping he would be able to do something to pay them back someday, after he returned from his search. He tore his gaze away from the grave and looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll find you…" He whispered to the clear blue and cloudless sky. He frowned, surprised at his own words, wondering where they came from. But far back, deep in the confines of his mind, there was something calling to him. A faded memory, when he was so much younger. He heard a childish voice making a vow to someone, but couldn't remember the name or what they looked like.

"Because I promised." He found himself saying and this time didn't bother to question it. However, the next thing that happened made him wonder if he had gone insane. A soft male voice, whispered in the wind.

_I know…  
><em>  
>Roxas jumped, looking around with wide eyes. He looked all around him searching for the source of the voice he just heard. There was no one else on the hill but him. Had he imagined it? The wind had died down to a low whistling by now, it was very possible. He shook his head and chuckled. Maybe he was just losing it. He was probably still in shock over the loss of his mother. That had to be it. He was grief stricken from his mother's death and was now hearing voices because it.<p>

It was best he was leaving then, if the villagers knew he was hearing voices he'd be declared mad, or bewitched. Either one wasn't very appealing to him. It was those very thoughts that spurred him onward and soon he broke into a run, feeling the wind rush through his hair and blood pounding in his ears. He looked up at the sky again and closed his eyes, imaging himself soaring through the clouds like a bird, relying on his feet and heart to guide him over the open fields. And the voice he heard before.

_Please…hurry…_

Roxas ran for a long time, never once stumbling, it was like his feet knew every contour of the land. When he finally stopped, his lungs demanding air and body begging for rest, he noticed the sun was beginning to set. The deep reds and oranges ran across the sky melding into one, like a very detailed painting. It was certainly a sight to behold and as Roxas stood there, looking up, taking in the beautiful sight he thought of his mother and how she would have loved to see it. His breath hitched as he was slammed back into reality, realizing he would never again get to enjoy another sunset with her. He would never see her smiling face or hear her laugh. He would never feel her warm embrace or smell that comforting lilac scent she always had that made him feel safe and loved. There would be no more of any of that…because she was gone.

Another breath caught in Roxas's throat and hot tears burned his eyes, but he struggled to keep them from spilling. He wasn't a little boy anymore and at the age of fifteen crying was considered a weakness in the male population. He didn't even cry during his mother's burial ceremony. He just remained standing next to one of the men who helped him dig, dry eyed and stony faced. One of his mother's friends, a woman who he knew as Tifa told him it wasn't healthy to bottle up his emotions like that. She tried to encourage him to just let it out, but he hadn't. Now he was beginning to feel the emotional strain of holding it in.

Forcibly he closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists, teeth grinding hard against each other as he fought to control himself. He released a shaky breath and reopened his eyes to see almost all daylight had just about disappeared. Now he was left alone in the dark to wander through the forest he realized that loomed before him. He could turn around now and forget about his journey, but that whispering voice, which he was beginning to realize, was so identical to his own pleaded for him not to. He must continue on, go through the forest and head for the mountains.

"…How do I know this?" Roxas held his head gently in his hands, feeling a small headache coming on. He knew he wouldn't be able to get much farther in his current condition and after a brief hesitation, entered the forest, searching for a good place to settle down and camp out for the night. He went about halfway in before seeing a nice little clearing and veered to his right.

Once he had built a small fire pit, he set to work on trying to get a fire going. He didn't think to bring any fire making tools and had to settle with banging two rocks together until he was finally rewarded with a few tiny sparks that faithfully leapt onto his pile of twigs and leaves he gathered. After he had a nice little fire going, Roxas sat quietly, looking into it with a small sigh. He found himself thinking of his mother again, imaging her gentle praise for completing the difficult task of lighting a fire without a char-cloth or striking flint. The painful clenching of emotions building up inside him made his gasp as his throat constricted. His headache was getting worse and a gnawing hunger in his belly was beginning to make him feel sick.

"Mother…" He moaned, curling into a ball as close to the fire as he could get without burning himself. He wrapped his traveling cloak around him like a blanket, and pulled his knees to his chest. Despite the fire's warmth he still felt biting cold of the evening and wished desperately that he was back home, stretched out on his comfortable straw mattress while his mother sang softly, lulling him to sleep. "I miss you so much..."

Roxas didn't even realize he fell asleep until he was awakened suddenly by loud, obnoxious laughter somewhere in the forest. He bolted upright, glancing around to see that it was completely pitch black, not even a sliver of light from the moon. He glanced upward quickly, but the moon wasn't out. Muttering a small prayer under his breath, Roxas looked around for something to defend himself with if needed, and settled on a nice sturdy stick that didn't quite make it in with the bundle of twigs and leaves that fed the fire. The laughter got louder, accompanied by voices, telling Roxas that whoever the newcomers were, there was more than one.

"Guuuys, I really don't like dark places. The woods are scary!" One of them whined, making Roxas wonder if they might be drunk. But the next one to speak had a quiet, mature voice that reprimanded the other.

"It's fine, Demyx," he sighed, sounding as though he would rather be anywhere but in the woods with his companion. "As long as we stick together and keep calm nothing is going to happen. That means keeping your voices down too."

There was a long pause in which Roxas took the opportunity to slowly get to his feet, holding his stick tightly as he strained his eyes for the intruders. He thought he could make out three figures silhouetted against inky blackness. How in the world would he ever take on three people with just a stick?

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the only one making noise." When the silence was broken once more, Roxas heard a deep voice with a slight drawl to it. He could tell from the tone the person was grinning. "Mr. Roving Musical Wonders here is the source of most of it!"

"Am not!"

"Sure are, Demy. Face it, you're definitely going to be the first to be eaten by whatever's out there."

"Axel, stop scaring him." The calmest of the three sighed as the one Roxas assumed was Demyx let out a whimper and mumbled something he couldn't hear. He slowly inched his way toward the bushes, keeping low and tried not to make a sound. But a twig snapped under his foot alerting the others to his presence.

"W-What was that?" Demyx stuttered, looking all around for the source of the noise. Roxas froze up when his gaze landed directly on him. He held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut and hoped they'd mistake him for a wild animal and turn tail and run.

"Probably a wild animal," Axel chuckled as their wimpy companion let out a small yelp.

"Be quiet!" The more reserved out of the three hissed. Surprisingly, they did as they were told and shut up. He spoke again in an even lower voice and Roxas had to really focus to hear him. "It's not an animal."

"Well tell us what it is then."

Roxas didn't hear any reply and he slowly opened his eyes to see one of the figures, noting he was rather short, was making his way toward him. Roxas tensed up getting the strangest feeling the quiet one knew he was there. He watched him stop by the fire pit, stirring a few embers to life, rekindling the fire. He fed the slowly rising flames a few small sticks and soon there was a warm crackling fire again. Then his head turned to look over where Roxas sat, clutching his stick.

Breath catching in his throat, Roxas tensed up, and tried to move back further into the safety of the leafy foliage. But then their eyes met and he froze.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts and I am not making any profit from this story.

**Author's Note: **I am sooo sorry for the long wait! I wouldn't be surprised if you guys forgot this story even existed, but like every human in this world, I have other things I have to do and the last few months are no exception. The entire summer's been crazy. I finally have my license…and a car, which I love very much. It's small and perfect. Not like my parents' insanely long Buick Century. No offense to anyone who like them. But anyways, I also got another job, and then got laid off at my other one. -_- I'm only getting part-time hours and I'm trying to get another part-time job so I can actually pay for stuff…even more now that I have the car…

But I'm really enjoying my new job. It's a bit on the boring side at times, but a lot better on my nerves and it's a very friendly work environment. With all of that said, I guess the other excuse for not getting this up is the fact that I've had absolutely no writing motivation.

**Acknowledgements:** A big thank you goes to my beta **Kunoichi21**for sticking by my side through all of the pain this story, and others have put me through. Her encouragement gives me the confidence to keep writing whenever I get frustrated. Also for putting up with my weirdness, as well as my tendency to start new stories…thanks for stopping me. XD

Also, I'd like to thank **overreactiveteenagemindsxo** as well. She was a big help to me, giving me little boosts on how to continue whenever I got stuck and couldn't go on. Since I'm not going to spoil anything, I'll leave a small explanation at the bottom for what parts are really hers, but just modified a bit by me.

And I can't forget my faithful readers and reviewers. It makes me so happy to see how popular this story is, and that people actually enjoy my writing, when I have so little confidence in it myself at times.

Thank you! ^^

**Nis: **Thank you very much for your review! It is quite rare to see Roxas and Ventus as brothers isn't it? I guess I decided they fit the roles the best, looking more like twins than Roxas and Sora ever did. Also, yes this story is related to the Vocaloid Synchronicity song, but with my own little twists. :D I apologize for taking so long to update and I hope you like this chapter. ^^

**Flightfoot:** Thanks again for your review! Yes, they have twin telepathy, but I don't want to say anymore in case I give something away. I hope this chapter is a little more explanatory.

**Dormouse Of Dreams: **Thank you very much for your review! I didn't realize you had the PM feature turned off or you would have had my response a while ago. I certainly plan to finish this story, so don't worry about that. I get really bad writer's blocks and sometimes my life gets hectic, but I will never abandon any of my stories. I just take a while to get around to them. As for the actual Synchronicity series…it's a shame it's not being continued. Also, sorry for the long wait!

**Warnings:** Some strong language

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><p>Roxas stared back at him in shock as the firelight created the perfect backdrop for him to see the stranger's face. He looked to be no older than Roxas himself, he was pale skinned, and his hair, which was short and lavender, fell into one eye. When Roxas still didn't move or speak, the boy sighed and straightened up. He crouched back down in front of Roxas who shifted away from him quickly, holding his stick in front of him like some sort of vertical shield. The stranger's companions called to him, and Roxas watched him in vague amusement as he closed his eyes briefly and muttered something that sounded a lot like 'idiots'.<p>

"I'm over here." His voice was monotone, but there was a definite hint of irritation as well. Roxas tensed as the others soon came over, stopping behind their friend. They looked down at Roxas in surprise.

"Well look at that," one of them chuckled, "a kid all alone in the middle of the forest." Now that he too was standing in the fire light Roxas could see that he had vivid red hair that spiked outwards like the back of a hedgehog. His lips were curved into an arrogant smirk, which Roxas instantly wanted to smack off him. But those thoughts were halted as he noticed the man's eyes. They were green. Not just any shade of green, but a deep emerald that Roxas was instantly lost in. He felt himself drowning in the endless sea of green and would have continued to do so if another voice didn't break him free from his daze.

"He's so cute," Roxas recognized him as the whiner whose name he forgot already even after he heard them say it a couple times upon coming into the woods. His mind was finally catching up on what he missed, registering that the redhead he had been so captivated with called him a kid. And now the whiner had the gall to call him cute. He glanced up at him, noticing he had light brown hair, almost blond in the firelight, that sat on his head as though it were an invitation for a bird to nest in it. It was certainly a much different hairstyle than any he'd ever seen, but the redhead's was much wilder.

"Don't call me cute." Roxas muttered, speaking for the first time since he'd been spotted. He wasn't letting down his guard completely, but other than being ignoramuses, he decided these people probably meant no harm. He looked at the redhead, eyes narrowed. "And I'm not a kid either."

The redhead raised an eyebrow and glanced at the brunet who tried to cover an amused laugh by coughing over exaggeratedly. He elbowed him a little and looked back at Roxas, that annoying smirk still there. "Huh. Could have fooled us, right Dem?" he chuckled and the brunet laughed like that was the funniest thing he ever heard.

"Haha! Right, Axel! He can't be any older than five!"

"Shut up!" Roxas growled and staggered to his feet. He pointed his stick at both of them in what he hoped was a threatening manner, slowly moving it back and forth between them ready to attack the one who made the next crack about his age. He hated it when people assumed him to be much younger than he looked. Back in his village there was a man who always teased Roxas by calling him an adorable little boy. In fact, now that he thought about it, that man looked a lot like the arrogant redhead. "I'm fifteen, ok? I'm old enough to be on my own."

"Fifteen? No way. Ten maybe, but fifteen? Pfft."

"Axel…I think you're pissing him off."

"No I'm not. But he does look like he's going to cry..."

Roxas took a deep breath, his whole body shuddering from the anger he was trying to hold back. He glared at Axel making sure every ounce of disgust he felt for him outweighed any other feeling—even the fascination of his appearance and the emeralds deeply engraved in his eyes remained forgotten. How dare he stand there and treat him like a child when he obviously was not?

"I said," he started with a noticeable tremor in his voice, further making the arrogant bastard who opposed him think of him as a child. He closed his eyes and prayed to the gods above, asking them to help him remain calm. He reopened his eyes, that damnable smirk still on the redhead's face as they waited patiently for him to continue, though Roxas couldn't be sure if it truly was out of patience or amusement. "I'm fifteen. Not five. Not ten. Fifteen, got it?"

"Yeah, sure, we've got it memorized, don't we Dem?" The brunet nodded and Roxas relaxed a bit, lowering his stick deciding that response sufficed for now. But then Axel stirred up even more trouble, by adding insult to injury and taking a jab at his height. "So what'd you do Shortcake, run away from home?" His grin was extremely irritating and identical to the man from his village. Roxas scowled, and without warning he struck Axel hard upon the head with his stick. He yelped and his brunet companion burst into a fit of laughter, hunching over, and Roxas found he couldn't resist. He smacked him on the head too, smirking triumphantly when the laughter was suddenly cut off by a pitiful yelp and pathetic whining.

"That was for calling me cute," Roxas told the brunet who pouted and rubbed his head, muttering about how that wasn't fair, and that Roxas was like some caged wild animal, and how he was scary when pissed off. Roxas just rolled his eyes.

"So what was the deal with hitting me?" The redhead demanded, rubbing gently at his own head. Roxas turned back to him again, raising his stick until he backed away, holding his hands up to defend himself. "Calm down, blondie. Geez, feisty little thing aren't you…"

"It's possible, Axel, that he doesn't appreciate being called short either." The boy who first discovered him spoke up making Roxas, and even the boy's companions, jump. Roxas completely forgot he was even there. As terrified as he had been earlier at being found by him, he couldn't help but give him a grateful smile. He finally had someone on his side about his height for once. He received a barely perceptible smile in return.

"Or maybe," Axel began, turning to his short comrade, eyes partially hooded and a smirk upon his lips. He draped an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him close. "It's your own height complex doin' the talkin', Zexy."

Roxas watched in rapt fascination as the lavender haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly and his arm swung out a bit, only to crook upward, elbow connecting hard with Axel's gut making the redhead grunt and release his hold on him. Axel hunched over slightly, groaning softly in discomfort.

"Perhaps, Axel," the boy Roxas now knew as Zexy, folded his arms and stared at the gasping form of the redhead. "You'll think twice before speaking so sordidly of me."

Once Axel was able to breathe properly again he straightened up and chuckled. "I'm only telling how I see it, partner."

"I am no partner of yours."

"'Course you are. You me and Demyx, we're a team."

"Yeah!"

"Hmph. There is no 'I' in 'team' Axel."

"Well duh. I'm not even the smart one and I knew that."

"I knew it too!"

Roxas chuckled softly, none of the three travelers paying him any mind as he slipped past them and settled himself down again by the fire, holding the stick loosely in his hand. He placed it down beside him and stretched out his legs, leaning back on his hands as listened to them argue along with gleeful additions from the child-like Demyx, and found himself smiling. Even though it had barely been a full day since he left his home and peaceful little village, he was beginning to realize just how much he missed the company of others.

Just as the dark tendrils of sadness managed to creep out from its heavily confined prison, wrapping Roxas in a turmoil of emotions, reminding him why he was out there in the forest in the first place, the sound of shuffling feet and a light thud pulled him away from curling fingers as they threatened to close around his throat and make holding everything in even harder. He blinked and looked over at the person now sitting beside him, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. It was Demyx, and he was grinning.

"What'cha doin'?" He asked, stretching out and laying back against the grass, arms behind his head. When Roxas gave no answer he chuckled and sat up, turning to face him. "You're not giving me the silent treatment are you? I'm really sorry for bugging you. But…you are cute. Like a puppy. 'Cause puppies are cute. I used to have a puppy. Her name was Rin."

All negative emotions were captured and thrust back into the confines of his mind as Roxas tried to make sense of what he was hearing. In a way he was grateful to Demyx for coming when he did to stop the onslaught of emotions he was experiencing, but on the other hand, he couldn't deny he was a little perturbed by the happiness that just radiated from the brunet. Finally he smiled and shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

"You're weird."

"Yeah I know…I get that all the time, actually—oh my gods you spoke!" Demyx laughed and pulled Roxas into a bone crushing hug that had him gasping for air and trying to get away, hands pressing firmly to Demyx's chest.

"Yeah…I did…now can you _please_let go of me?" Roxas voice was strained. Just when he thought he might pass out from lack of oxygen, or his ribs cracking and piercing a lung, he felt the pressure recede until it was no longer there. Roxas scrambled away and fell to his hands and knees, coughing and tasting the sweet air his lungs had been deprived of. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see Demyx whining, hands over his head, Axel standing above him looking smug and the other boy rolling his visible eye.

"Sorry about him, blondie. He tends to get excited from time to time. Zexion forgot to bring along his leash. Now Dem, what have we said about strangers and your unhealthy obsession to hump them?"

"That it's immoral…and I shouldn't do it."

"You're kidding right…?" Roxas's eyes went twice their size as he glanced down at himself then over at Demyx who grinned sheepishly at him. Did he just hear right? Did Axel really just say Demyx humped people? His body gave an involuntary shudder. He felt violated now. The urge to jump up and run through the forest until he came across a brook or a lake to jump in and cleanse himself was beginning to sound like a splendid idea, and he almost did until Axel's obnoxious laughter brought him back to earth.

"G-good j-job Dem," Axel snorted, leaning against the brunet to keep himself from falling over. "You're a pretty darn good actor. Zex, give him a cookie. He deserves one. Oh, and you blondie…man…you-you should see your face! Gold! Pure gold!" He received a kick in the side from Zexion and merely fell to the ground, still laughing hysterically, and rolling from side to side, arms wrapped around his waist, nursing his aching sides and trying to get his laughter under control.

"That wasn't very considerate of you, Axel." Zexion sighed and looked over at Roxas who was beginning to realize the whole thing was a joke. His eyes slowly narrowed and mouth closed, lips curving downward into a frown. He hated being made a fool of even more than he hated being called cute, or kid, or short. "My apologies, for him, his mother dropped him on his head when he was baby."

"That would explain a lot, actually." Roxas laughed, and just like that his anger disappeared. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to enjoy these three strangers and their company. Axel was extremely loud and annoying, the jokes pertaining to Roxas's age and height was a major piss off, but his constant laughter over things that just weren't that funny sort of amused Roxas. However, despite all of that, Roxas decided he wasn't all that bad when it came down to it. Demyx was childish and seemed rather stupid at times, but what he lacked in brains he made up for with his cheerfulness and kind heart. The other boy, whose name still escaped Roxas, was a lot like Roxas himself. He was short, and loathed the jokes as much as Roxas did, he got irritated easily, and he was rather aloof and quiet. He was smart too, and well-versed.

"Yes," Zexion nodded, picking up a stick near by and poked at the fire with it, then turned to Axel who was still lying on the ground, but his laughter had receded. There was a yelp from the redhead and Roxas let out a snort of laughter, quickly covering his mouth with his hands from embarrassment, but no one paid him any mind as all attention was focused on Axel.

"Damnit, Zexion! That fucking hurt! You burnt my hip!"

"Ha ha! He branded you! Like some sort of animal!"

"Shut your mouth you ass-backwards attention grabbing loser!"

"I'm not a loser!"

"I'm dealing with children..."

"He's the child not me."

"Heey…"

"Gods please have mercy on me…"

Roxas watched them argue back and forth, completely forgotten for the time being, which was fine with him because he was enjoying the entertainment they were providing. Demyx was pouting and complaining to Zexion about how he wasn't a child or a loser and Axel was just smirking, obviously pleased with the conflict he just caused. Zexion had a hand to his face, head bowed slightly. Roxas had a feeling he regretted poking Axel with the stick now. Just then Axel glanced over at him and their eyes met. He stared, spotting two little black marks just below his eyes. Had those been there the whole time?

"See something you like, blondie?" Axel chuckled. Roxas felt his cheeks heating up in a blush, but he wasn't going to give Axel the satisfaction of seeing it. He shifted a little so the firelight didn't catch the rosy tint of his cheeks. But he kept his eyes on Axel the whole time instead of tearing his eyes away as he so desperately wanted to. A slow smirk crossed his lips as he thought of the perfect comeback.

"No. I'm trying to figure out what it is I'm looking at." His answer was a good one, both holding truth and insult at the same time.

Axel gave Roxas a sharp look that made him squirm uncomfortably and wonder if maybe he might have went a little too far with that comment. He just automatically assumed the redhead wouldn't be offended since he dished out insults left right and center and he didn't even bat an eye at how people responded to them. Roxas opened his mouth to apologize, although something in the back of his mind was telling him Axel deserved it and not to bother to say anything. But he didn't have a chance to utter even one word when Axel himself spoke.

"I bet you think you're _so_clever, don't you?" He growled. Roxas could see the smirk slowly growing on his lips and the deep green of his eyes twinkling with amusement. He found himself grinning as well. Maybe Axel was exactly how he assumed him to be.

"Cleverer than you, I'm sure."

"You're a smartass too."

"I'm proud of it."

Axel chuckled and got to his feet, Roxas watched him wearily as he came over and took a seat beside him. He looked up at Axel's grinning face and mischievous green eyes curiously, and then let out a yelp as a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. He ducked his head quickly to hide the fast spreading, even darker blush on his cheeks. He was aware of the other two watching them, Demyx was smiling knowingly and Zexion was just observing, his face expressionless, neither saying a word. Roxas suddenly felt self conscious and quickly pulled away from Axel, picking up his stick again. He didn't like the sudden giggle from Demyx or the looks that he and Axel were getting and he certainly didn't appreciate Axel getting into his personal space like that. Axel moved back a little, cowering, or at least that's what it looked like to Roxas. He was eyeing the stick nervously and Roxas had a feeling Axel didn't want to be hit, poked, or prodded anymore.

"Don't you think I've been tortured enough already tonight?" He asked Roxas who glanced over at the others. Zexion shook his head and Demyx was just smiling happily for no real reason that Roxas could decipher. He looked back at Axel and lowered his stick. "_Thank you_. It's nice that someone is actually listening to me for a change."

"Just as long as you don't touch me again, or piss me off in any way, I promise not to hit you."

"Duly noted," Axel chuckled, relaxing when Roxas got to his feet and moved far away from him, stick still in his hand, but he only tossed it into the fire as though sealing the promise by destroying his weapon and silently telling Axel he trusted him for now. He sat back down in a cross-legged position, his hands resting on his knees. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, as though mediating. "So do you have a name, or should I just keep calling you blondie?"

Roxas blinked his eyes open and stared into leaping flames in front of them, listening to the snaps and crackles as the fire engulfed the twigs, sending a few sparks into the air. The soft orange glow of the flames illuminated his face as he turned to look at Axel. Should he come up with a fake name to give them or just say his real one? He lifted a hand scratching his fluffy blond spikes and took a deep breath, deciding he had nothing to lose by telling them his real one. "It's Roxas."

"Roxas huh? It's a good name. It suits you, kid."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at Axel. He wasn't happy with being called a kid again, but he supposed he could live with it for now and just ignore it. The next time Axel called him a kid though, he would make sure he found another stick and then beat him to a bloody pulp. He could see Demyx waiting with bated breath and Zexion just watched, raising an eyebrow. It seemed they expected some violent reaction from him. Instead he forced himself to smile. "Thanks…I guess."

"No problem, blondie," Axel chuckled and looked at his two companions. "We should probably introduce ourselves too, right guys?"

"Yeah!" Demyx shouted happily like that was the best idea he ever heard, given the way the brunet's brain worked though, Roxas wouldn't be too surprised if it was. He scooted over to Roxas and held out his hand. "I'm Demyx! Nice to meet you, Roxas!"

Roxas chuckled, reaching out and shaking his hand, but when he pulled back, Demyx wouldn't let go…or stop shaking their hands. "It's um…nice to meet you too, Demyx. Could you, you know, let go of my hand? I'm getting a little tired."

"Wha'cha talkin' abou—ooh! Ha, sorry." Demyx looked down at their connected hands as he continued to shake them up and down. He quickly stopped the motion and let go of Roxas's hand.

"Thanks." Roxas muttered and rubbed his upper arm gently to relieve the cramp that had started to form. Axel cleared his throat and Roxas looked over at him, neither of them bothering to get up as Axel proceeded to introduce himself as well.

"Axel," he started with a grin, pointing to his temple, "Got it memor—"

"Don't you _dare_," Zexion growled making all of them jump. Roxas kept forgetting he was there, he was just so _quiet_. Roxas switched his gaze from Axel to Zexion and back again. Zexion's eyes were narrowed and if looks could kill, Axel would have been slain instantly. "If I have to hear that stupid catch phrase one more time I will impale you on this stick." He pulled said stick out of the fire and pointed it at Axel threateningly; its end was glowing red hot.

Zexion's words had a massive effect on him. He held up his hands defensively, regarding Zexion warily. "Alright, alright, I won't say it. Sheesh."

"Good." And just like that Zexion returned his attention to the fire, poking at a few twigs that were starting to fall out of the pit. He pushed them back in with the stick, watching as the fire caught and quickly consumed them until they were black.

"He's Zexion by the way," Demyx supplied since Zexion himself wasn't offering his name. Roxas chuckled and nodded.

Everything was silent again, save for Axel and Demyx talking amongst themselves, Roxas frowned when he heard his name a couple of times. To make matters worse he caught Axel looking over at him and then he quickly turned back to Demyx and whispered something that Roxas couldn't hear. It was like being back in the village listening to a couple of teenage girls gossiping about their boyfriends. He rolled his eyes and turned away from them and looked over at Zexion, content to watch him prod a few loose twigs back into the fire with the same stick he used to poke Axel with earlier. Suddenly Zexion tensed and lifted his head to look at Roxas. Their eyes met just as they had when Zexion first discovered him hiding in the bushes. The one blue eye that was visible stared coldly back at him, challenging him. He wanted to look away, but couldn't. There was something in that gaze, past ever present knowledge and mystery, Roxas thought he could detect sadness, a deep sadness that Roxas himself felt whenever he thought of his mother. Could it be possible the two had more in common than he previously thought?

Before he could dwell on it further, Zexion looked away, returning his gaze to the fire in front of him. Roxas watched him for a minute longer; the silence that stretched on, with the exception of Axel and Demyx, was no longer comfortable. Roxas felt like he overstepped his boundary and invaded Zexion's privacy, as though that stare had penetrated through Zexion's soul and viewed everything from past, present and future. He knew he had to say something to get rid of the tension that radiated from him.

"Oi, blondie," Axel called, his deep, husky voice shattering Roxas's thoughts, disorientating him momentarily until he remembered where he was and who he was with. He reluctantly turned to face him, deciding he was a good distraction from the tense, awkward air with Zexion. "I was just thinkin'."

"There's a surprise," Zexion muttered, earning a sharp look from Axel and noise that sounded like a cross between a snicker and a giggle from Demyx. He only gave Axel the same cold stare that Roxas experienced, and got to his feet to gather some more wood. Roxas bent his head and bit his lip to hold back the laughter that he wanted to let out so badly. That was yet another thing he and Zexion had in common. He was planning to say something like that himself, but he beat him to it.

"Gee, you can just feel the love," Axel muttered. His green eyes followed Zexion until he could no longer see him, then he turned back to Roxas and grinned. "So, as I was saying before I was so _rudely_interrupted. You've never told us why you're here, have you?"

"You never asked." Roxas pointed out, although he wasn't going to mention that he vaguely remembered he did, but chances were he probably wouldn't have told them anyway. "Why don't you tell me why you're travelling with two other people and one of them obviously wanting nothing to do with you?"

Axel raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You're doing it that way are you? Fine. Two can play that game. I'm not sayin' a thing until you answer my question first."

Roxas stretched his legs out in front of him; he could feel the heat from the fire through his boots. He tilted his head a little and grinned at Axel. "I guess you'll never know then."

Axel blinked a couple of times and Roxas's grin changed to a very smug one. He was quite pleased with himself, he doubted Axel was prepared for that. "You planned that all along, didn't you?"

"No, but I've decided it's fun to watch you squirm." Roxas was surprised with how comfortable he suddenly felt with the redhead.

"Guess you got me there, blondie." Axel shook his head, giving him a smile.

Roxas returned the smile as he weighed the pros and cons of telling Axel just what had brought him to the forest in the first place. He opened his mouth to speak, deciding it wouldn't hurt to tell him. What did he have to lose? It wasn't like they were going to be travelling together, right? But before he could even get a word out, Demyx, who had been oddly quiet the whole time Roxas and Axel had been talking, spoke up.

"So if you're not going to tell Axel why you're out here, will you tell me?" He asked curiously, leaning forward eagerly awaiting Roxas's answer.

Roxas groaned and titled his head back, looking up at the sky. The clouds were no longer covering the moon, and a sliver of its ethereal light shone down on them. He spotted a few stars twinkling merrily and smiled wistfully, wondering if his mom was watching them right now.

"Hey." A voice interrupted the flow of his thoughts and he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the sky, looking over at Demyx, who had spoken. "You ok?"

Roxas blinked at the question, noting the worried expression on his face. Even Axel looked a little concerned. He forced a smile and tried to laugh it off. "Heh, yeah of course I am. Why I wouldn't I be?"

"You're crying," Axel pointed out.

Roxas lifted a hand to his face. "No I'm n—" He stopped abruptly upon feeling wetness on the tips of his fingers and quickly swiped the back of his hand over his face to keep anymore from falling. Axel raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms as though silently saying, 'see?' Roxas gave him a half-hearted smile. "D-don't know where that came from. Heh."

"You sure you're ok blondie?" Axel narrowed his eyes slightly and Roxas had a feeling he knew he was lying.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Roxas replied shakily, running an uneasy hand through his messy blonde hair and let out a very forced sounding laugh. "The smoke," He pointed to the crackling fire by his feet, "Got to my eyes."

"Uh-huh…" Axel clearly wasn't convinced and Roxas looked away, feeling the redhead's suspicious gaze on the back of his head.

"Aw, that happens to me _all_ the time!" Demyx piped up. Roxas was _very_thankful for the brunet's well timed interruption. "Like this one time when Axel tried to fuel the fire with moss. The smoke was soo bad!"

"I believe you were the one who put the moss in the fire, Demyx."

Everyone jumped at the sound of Zexion's quiet voice and Roxas nervously looked around trying to spot him. The lavender haired teenager hardly made a sound as he made his way over to the fire pit, the orange and red tongues still vigorously lapping at the chilly air, but were slowly beginning to abate. An air of enigma seemed to surround him as he set to work feeding the fire, standing quietly, watching the flames leap to life as they eagerly devoured the wood and twigs he found.

"Oh yeah!" Demyx laughed.

Axel chuckled and said something to Demyx that Roxas didn't hear. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to get out of there. The air was getting too hot and stuffy and not because of the fire. He swallowed thickly, coughing, and at the questioning looks he received from Axel and Demyx he just lied and told them it was the smoke. He got to his feet, excusing himself for a short walk. He could feel Axel's gaze drilling into the back of his head but just took a deep breath and walked away as casually as he could.

Once he could no longer see the comforting glow of the firelight Roxas stopped and sat down against the thick trunk of a tree. He leaned his head back, looking up through the leafy canopy at the sky. The clouds were slowly covering the moon again, the last of its light disappearing, bathing the forest in darkness. Roxas closed his eyes and pulled his knees close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them tightly.

The crunching of sticks and forest debris made him freeze with fear. He opened his eyes, the fear only growing when he couldn't see anything. The clouds were still covering the moon leaving Roxas at a complete disadvantage if it was a hungry animal sneaking up on him. He held his breath forcing himself to listen and pinpoint the creature's location. There were more crunching noises and Roxas quickly prayed to whatever gods that were listening to make his death swift and as painless as possible.

Something touched his shoulder and a scream clawed its way up his throat, slipping free before he had a chance to stop it. It was embarrassingly shrill.

"Whoa, hey, calm down, kiddo." It was Axel.

Roxas didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and ended up doing a little of both. His body shook with relief as tears streamed down his cheeks. The traitorous clouds decided continue on their merry way at that moment, and the moon's radiant light burst through and illuminating both Axel and Roxas. He ducked his head, ashamed to be seen crying, but instead of the laughter he was expecting, Axel looked down at him with a smile, a real smile, none of those mischievous and arrogant ones.

Axel sat down beside him and Roxas saw him look over from his peripheral vision.

"Thanks for nearly giving me a heart attack." Roxas muttered, reluctantly turning to face Axel.

Axel chuckled, that stupid arrogant grin of his returning. "Don't mention it, Shorty." Roxas bristled at the name. "But you know you've been gone for quite a while. Zexion sent me to look for you. We thought maybe you got lost or something."

"Well I didn't. I just needed a little time alone."

"Ah." Axel nodded knowingly. "It wouldn't have anything to do with you crying and that half-assed excuse you gave us would it?"

"I told you it was the smoke!" Roxas snapped. He hated how Axel seemed to be able to see through his lies as easily as if he were reading a book.

"How about you just tell me the truth, make it easier on yourself. Does it have anything to do with why you're out here all by yourself?"

Roxas wanted nothing more than to tell him to get lost, but surprised himself as something entirely different slipped out.

"Tell me why you're here with them and I'll tell you why I'm here by myself."

Axel chuckled, leaning back against the tree, arms folded behind his head. "You're still determined to find that out, huh? Well, I guess it's a fair trade. Fine, but you must understand, everything I tell you is completely true and there's no taking back what you've learned."

"You're talking like something horrible happened." Roxas smiled, intending for the words to be taken lightly, but upon seeing how serious Axel's face was, his smile disappeared.

"For as long as I can remember… I've been a servant to a dragon." He paused, glancing at Roxas who stared wide-eyed back at him. When he didn't say anything, Axel continued. "We were meant to entertain him until he grew bored of us. Girls usually sang and danced, using their feminine charm to amuse him, and the boys were forced to fight to the death. I was a champion among them, won each round I was in with very few injures. Because of that I became one of his favorites."

Roxas took in everything Axel said without a word. He wanted to say the whole thing sounded ridiculous and that Axel was just making it up, but legend had it, for many years there was a dragon that ruled the land, causing havoc and destruction everywhere it went, until finally the inhabitants came up with a way to appease the creature's thirst for ruin. They offered a young maiden as a sacrifice. No one ever saw her again, but the dragon didn't bother the people until a few years later, demanding yet another girl, particularly one that would sing and dance for him. Eventually as the years passed, the dragon would use its priestess and guardian to be its eyes and choose another child and order it brought to him. Roxas hadn't heard of anymore choosing happening since, but something stirred deep inside him, and strangely he couldn't doubt any of it.

_It's true._

"Ah! You again!" Roxas bolted to his feet, looking around, trying to find where the replica of his own voice was coming from. He couldn't see anything other than the trees, their branches and leaves gently swaying in a light breeze, and Axel who was getting to his own feet, watching him curiously.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked as Roxas kept turning slowly in a circle, searching for the owner of the voice. "Did you hear something?"

"It—I heard a voice. I've been hearing it since I left my village…he…he sounds just like me. He keeps telling me to hurry…and to go to the mountains." Roxas released a shaky breath, turning to face Axel, his eyes wide and scared. Axel frowned and moved close, like he was going to pull Roxas into a hug, but Roxas backed away, wrapping his arms around himself, suddenly feeling cold. "I—I've never been to the mountains before. I…I think I'm going crazy."

When Axel realized Roxas wasn't going to accept the hug, he dropped his arms, letting them fall to his sides. "It tells you to go to the mountains?" He asked after a brief moment of silence, his voice low and tense.

Roxas just nodded, fear pulsing through every fiber of his body upon seeing Axel's eyes growing large. "W-what? Is that bad?"

"The mountains…" Axel swallowed. His voice was barely above a whisper. "That's where the dragon's dwelling is. What you're hearing might be a ploy to catch and imprison you."

"P-ploy?"

"He's trying to lure you to the mountains as his next chosen."

Shivers ran down his spine at those words. He stood stock still, staring at Axel, wishing he hadn't heard those words. He didn't want to be chosen. He didn't want to be forced to be the dragon's next star, entertaining him until he died. Could his journey be in vain then? All this time when he thought he was setting out to search for someone he just knew was important, his mind was really being tricked by the horrible creature?

_No. Don't listen to him. I promise you Roxas, I'm not the dragon._

The voice was soft, and held an element of sadness to it.

"Where are you?" Roxas demanded, completely spooked now. He looked up at the sky, not sure what he was looking for…a ghost maybe? He didn't care what it was, as long as the owner of the voice would just show itself. "How do you know my name?"

"Don't encourage him, Roxas!" Axel shouted desperately. "Don't let him deceive you!"

_Trust me, Roxas. I have absolutely no intentions of hurting you. How could I? You're my twin brother after all._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I hope this chapter made up for the long wait, and I'll try my best to work on the next chapter, but I have a lot of other stories that could probably use a little attention first.

The part with Roxas crying and not realizing it, as well as his excuse with it being the smoke, and Demyx saying that happens to him all the time. That's all credited to **overreactiveteenagemindsxo**. Thanks again for your help. ^^

And if you guys haven't read any of **Kunoichi21** or** overreactiveteenagemindsxo**'s stories, I encourage you. I'm going to put links in my profile very soon, so go give them so love!

Thanks for reading! ^^


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